And an update, Dragonskin's a go! It's in LR2000 database as an active lode claim and I have my serial number! It may be a few months yet before I hear back on map validity, etc. For now, it's an active, paid-for claim. I sent in two topographics with the paperwork, one showing the claim in relation to section boundaries and one with the metes/bounds marked out on the claim outline. Hoping that's enough data.
As for the name, it's a reference to the incredibly weird organic and scale-like outer texture of the eggs, and the equally fun bubbly botryoidal on the inside!
My next job is cutting enough to have an "average." The temps outside are still a little too cold to run the saw, so I'll be trimming up and polishing some of the bots to see how it behaves as a lapidary material. I think it'll be pretty interesting!
Cutting-wise, I am going to do my level best to cut longways, not crossways, on these eggs. Longways seems to show the interior best. This is a chance longways fracture on an egg, showing (under the black lichen staining) the variety of interior in a single egg, from bots to lacy fortification to waterline.
I have also found a lot of common opal, some much-crazed blue and red, and what appears to be a very tiny amount of precious. I'll be investigating that more too... the whole rhyolite outcrop is veined with common opal so chances are good.
There is another outcrop of red-banded agate t-eggs about ten yards off the end of my claim. Didn't know it was there when I made my boundaries. I won't be playing with it this year, but I may inquire next year about scooching the claim over to include it, or expanding the boundaries. My border is 14 acres right now but they put 20 acres on my listing in LR2000. :P
